Have you ever used Foursquare? This is the social network that allows you to “check-in” as you go location to location on your smartphone while earning badges and points. The social aspect of the network comes from the fact that you can keep track of where friends are at and which Foursquare users may have recently checked-in at a location.

One of the most coveted prizes for a Foursquare user is to receive the title of mayor. A user earns the mayor title by checking into a location more than any other Foursquare user. Some users have multiple mayor titles which increases the stature the user has on the network in addition to earning them more badges.

Unfortunately, in the interest of increasing the number of mayor titles a user has, some are leveraging a very dangerous technique. They are creating custom locations which may include their home or a relative’s house. This technique will no doubt give someone a very easy mayor title to earn, but there is a cost.

Remember I said that the nice thing about Foursquare is that you can see which users most recently checked into a location? Well, you may be able to keep your check-ins private to just your friends, but mayorships are public if you know a user’s Foursquare name. If I want to see who might live at a location like “The Smith House” I need only bring it up to see who the mayor is there. Users who engage in this practice might as well put a picture of themselves on the front of their home saying, “I live here”, because what they are doing on Foursquare is the virtual equivalent.

I like becoming the mayor of a location just like everyone else on Foursquare. I just don’t think I need to broadcast to people where I or my relatives may live. No virtual crown is worth that and it’s only a matter of time before the practice leads to a bad outcome.

The concern between privacy and being mayor of your favorite spot is highlighted in a ZDNet blog by Jennifer Leggio in her article titled, “Foursquare’s privacy loopholes.” In the post Leggio points out another concern with being mayor of a location–it lets people know about locations where you frequently appear. That’s a bonanza of information for a stalker.

That being said, my advice is if you are a Foursquare user keep your custom locations to public areas unless you are comfortable with strangers knocking on your door one day uninvited. It’s also a good idea to weigh the privacy costs of being mayor of any location in general.

Reader Comments

Moose Valley

>One of the most coveted prizes for a Foursquare user is to
>receive the title of mayor. A user earns the mayor title
>by checking into a location more than any other Foursquare
>user. Some users have multiple mayor titles which increases
>the stature the user has on the network in addition to
>earning them more badges.